论据-例证拓展

　　关于托福写作TASK 2的学术写作，上次我们讨论了如何利用因果链去展开初步的论证，这次我们来看一下如何利用例证来进一步展开细节论证。以下面这个媒体类的考题为例：

　　Your professor is discussing social media. Write a post responding to the professor’s question.

　　In your response you should:

　　• express and support your opinion

　　• make a contribution to the discussion

　　An effective response will contain at least 100 words. You will have 10 minutes to write it.

　　Dr Gupta

　　Today, we’re going to discuss the impact of social media on society. On one hand, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have connected people from all over the world. However, there are concerns about the negative effects of social media, such as the spread of misinformation, the rise of cyberbullying, and addiction to social media use. What do you think? Does social media cause more harm than good?

　　题干总述的关键词是social media。

　　教授提及的背景信息当中有两个明确的逻辑词：on one hand和however，提示学生要讨论的中心是相反的两个方面：社交媒体的优点和缺点。要求大家明确给出自己的意见，以及讨论社交媒体的优点多还是缺点多。接下来看两位同学的观点：

　　Sarah: I think that social media has caused more harm than good. While it’s true that social media platforms have connected people in unprecedented ways, they have also caused real harm to individuals and societies. Additionally, social media platforms have been linked to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, particularly among young people.

　　Mark: I disagree with Sara. I think that social media has mostly improved society. For instance, it has given a voice to people that previously were ignored. Moreover, it has provided a platform for political activism that has led to positive change. And, of course, social media has made it easy for everyone to stay connected to family and friends who are far away. While there are negative aspects of social media, they are far outweighed by the benefits.

　　从标记加粗的词当中我们能看到，Sarah认为社交媒体的负面影响更大，个人和社会都会受到影响，但她没有对社会方面进行细节的展开，只提到了个人的心理健康，这也提示了考生是可以从社会角度去进一步展开论证的。而Mark主要提到的是积极影响，除了大家比较熟悉的“跟亲友保持联系”之外，还提到了“帮助弱者发声”这个社会向的论点。

　　如果我们选择了积极影响，就是偏向了Mark这一方：

　　My personal view is that social media is mainly conducive to individual life and social progress, as indicated by Mark.

　　接下来用因果+举例的方式展开论证，或者直接用一组例证去展开细节论述都是可以的。比较简单的因果+举例可以是：

　　Multiple types of social applications, such as Twitter and Instagram, enable people to share pieces of life with families and friends wherever they are, and hence enhance their relationship.

　　如果想要用更多样化的方式去举例，可以用到：

　　Take sth for example.

　　A good case in point is …

　　This point can be illustrated/ proved by the fact that …

　　A epitomizes/ exemplify B. (A可以证明B)

　　利用上面的短语或句型，我们可以用更细节的例证去加强上一句话的说服力：

　　A good case in point is that parents and friends living far away could get in touch with us at any time via social software like WeChat and get to know our recent situation, which makes our psychological distance closer.

　　如果有想要论证社会层面的同学，举例的时候也可以参考以下表达：

　　For example, there are a lot of support groups on communities like Facebook where people can talk about their struggles and get advice from people going through similar experiences.

　　实际上在逻辑衔接方面，不需要过度追求罕见表达，只要上下文的意思衔接合理，在同一段当中有一定变换，就能满足考试的要求。

　　接下来同学们可以试着利用例证展开下面这个题目：

　　Dr Gupta

　　As we've discussed in class, social media has become an increasingly important tool for businesses to connect with their target audience. However, there are both benefits and drawbacks to using social media for business purposes. What do you think?

　　结合我们前面提到的观点句论述和因果链的写法，加上一个例证以及细节展开，就能完成academic discussion当中最重要的主体论述部分了。